William e



(Model.)

W.'E. SPARKS.

DOOR LATCH.

' Patehted Apr. 10, 1883.

I No. 275,533.

N. PETERS, Phuwutho m mr. Wahingtnn. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. SPARKS, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO P. & F. CORBIN, OF SAME PLACE.

DOOR-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,533, dated April 10, 1883. Application filed May 31, 1882. (ModeLl To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. SPARKS, of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in latches. In my improved latch a peculiarshaped lever is pivoted to the latch-bolt upon one side thereof, and is connected with the latch-case by means of a link; and the object of my improvements is to provide means for forcing the latch-bolt into the case under inv I fluenoe of the striker much more smoothly than the means heretofore employed for so doing. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of my latch; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same with part of the cap-plate removed. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the case on line aw of Figs. 1 and 2, and a plan view of the latch-bolt and the parts connected with its outer end; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detached views of the lever and link, respectively.

A designates thelatch-bolt; B, thelever pivoted to said bolt at a, so as to move longitudinally therewith, and C the link, one end of which is pivoted at b to the latch-case, and the other is connected by a pin-and-slot connection to thelever B. So far as the operation is concerned, this end of the link C might be pivoted or pinned to the lever B but for convenience of manufacture, and to make the parts in the most compact form, 1 make a shallow notch or recess, 0, in the edge of the lever B, and secure a pin, h, which rests in said recess, to the end of the link C, as shown in Fig. 5 and indicated by broken circle in Fig.3. The other parts of the latch may be of any ordinary construction. The end of the lever, which will come in contact with the striker as the door is closed, projects beyond the beveled face of the end of the latch-bolt, and is rounded off as shown in Fig. 3. The opposite edge face of this lever B, from the point (I inward toward the case, is so formed as toescape the face-plate of the case as the lever swings backward and inward. When the striker engages the lever B it has a tendency to move backward, and thereby pull upon the link C. The link-pivot b, by which the link is secured to the case, is inside of the pin h, so that the link will allow the outer end of the lever B to swing backward; but in so doing this swinging movement of the link carries the lever B and latch-bolt A into the case.

It is believed that the foregoing parts are so combined and arranged as to produce what is commonly'called an anti-friction attachment for latches, that will work perfectly smooth and easy without any tendency to catch and bind at any point.

I am aware of the latch shown and described in the patent to C H. Smith, No. 194,789, September 4., 1877, and Ihereby disclaim the same.

I claim as my invention- That improvement in latches which consists of the lever B, pivoted to the latch-boltby the axis a, which moves longitudinally with said bolt, and having on its projecting end a hollow face and a rounded face, with the rounded one ofsaid faces upon that side of the point 61 which faces the keeper for acting thereon, and the link C, pivoted at one end to the lever B and at the opposite end to the case at a point which, when the latch-bolt is projected, is inside of its connection with the lever, substantially as described, and for the purpose specifled.

\IVILLIAM E. SPARKS.

Witnesses CHARLES PEoK, MILTON S. WADSWOR'IH. 

